This invention pertains to the art of paint masks and, more particularly, to die cut paint masks.
The invention is particularly applicable to such die cut paint masks as employed to accommodate painting of some predetermined design configuration on a work surface and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention has broader applications and may also be adapted to use in other environments.
Heretofore, conventional die cut paint mask systems have been comprised of three layers of material, i.e., a mask material, a liner paper, and a carrier tape. The mask material comprises an adhesive-coated material which is die cut for having a desired design configuration. The liner paper comprises a coated, heavy paper applied to the adhesive side of the mask material. The liner acts to protect the adhesive and retain the overall mask in assembled condition during fabrication. The carrier tape is a light adhesive paper applied to the top of the mask material once the mask material has been die cut to the design configuration. This carrier tape functions to hold the mask together after the liner paper has been removed prior to mask application onto the surface to be painted.
Although the foregoing conventional die cut type of paint mask systems have generally provided satisfactory masking results, the necessity for including three layers of material added manufacturing time and costs to the overall systems. Such time and costs become particularly significant and undesirable when a substantial volume of individual products, surfaces, or the like must be identically masked to accommodate the painting of some design configuration thereon.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a die cut paint mask system which would eliminate the necessity for three layers of material while still providing the same or superior masking results. The subject invention is considered to meet these needs and others to provide a new and improved system and method which are simple in construction, highly effective in use, and readily adapted to a wide variety of masking applications and environments.